Hinging by Amome
by Koyuki Aode
Summary: "Hanging by a Moment" vid-fic. Aya is Aya, and Ran is Ran.. or are they? One moment can test the strength of bond. Mucho [twisted] spoilers.


"Hanging by a Moment"  
by Lifehouse  
Album: No Name Face  
  
[fade in]  
  
~ The sun shines down upon a patch of grass where Aya, as a young  
girl, plays among sakura blossoms. The moment freezes and becomes a  
framed photograph in a sparsely furnished bedroom.  
  
[Desperate for changing  
Starving for truth]  
  
~Stumbling tiredly into a bathroom, Ran looks like he just woke up.  
After turning the faucet on, he splashes his face w/ water and looks  
into the mirror. Aya's reflection stares back at him.  
  
[I'm closer to where i started  
Chasing after you]  
  
~The scene melds into Aya in front of the mirror, staring into Ran's  
reflection. Wiping her face with a towel, she walks into her bedroom,  
and glances at a photo of her brother.  
  
[i'm falling even more in love with you  
letting go of all i've held onto]  
  
~Someone stands near a hospital bed, gripping its rails tightly. Then  
the hand pulls up, holding a single earring, Ran's earring. As the  
camera zooms out, Aya is revealed to be standing at Ran's hospital  
bed.  
  
[i'm standing here until you make me move  
i'm hanging by a moment here with you]  
  
~She hooks the earring into her ear, and a tear falls down her cheek.  
There is a vow silently whispered, and the camera zooms in on Ran's  
katana, propped up in a corner.  
  
[forgetting all i'm lacking  
completely incomplete]  
  
~The scene melts into a bright, green cemetary, w/ Ran standing at his  
parents' graves, freshly bandaged from the hospital. He grips his  
katana and ignores Schuldich, who taunts him endlessly.  
  
[i'll take your invitation  
you take all of me]  
  
~Aya, in her hospital gown, is trapped in Youji's wires and forced to  
make a deal with Birman about her future. She stares wide-eyed at the  
woman's words, then looks away, her eyes filled with dilemma.  
  
[now.. i'm falling even more in love with you  
letting go of all i've held onto]  
  
~Standing in the seething hell-ish fires with Takatori, Aya, dressed  
in black, trembles with anger as she is faced with the person who  
ruined her life. But, unlike Ran, she is unable to attack him.  
  
[i'm standing here until you make me move  
i'm hanging by a moment here with you]  
  
~ Ran gazes downward from a building's roof, watching as Aya sleeps  
peacefully. Aya's eyes open and she glances out the window, to see  
the empty rooftop.  
  
[i'm living for the only thing i know  
i'm running and not quite sure where to go]  
  
~Flashback: Ken finds Aya's body in a cabinet, Ran is shocked that  
Sakura would sacrifice herself for his sake. Ran talks to Nagi,  
considering the exchange of Aya for Sakura.  
  
[i don't know what i'm diving into]  
  
~Sakura and Aya work at the flower shop, still waiting for Ran and the  
others to return.  
  
[just hanging by a moment here with you]  
  
~The Koneko building decays slowly, finally becoming deserted and  
empty. A "for sale" sign in the window is marked with a sold sticker,  
as an older Aya locks the door for the last time.  
  
[there's nothing left to lose]  
  
~Omi sits in his car, waiting for a light to change, when he sees  
Ran crossing the street. He does a double take, and sees Aya there  
instead.  
  
[nothing left to find]  
  
~ watching a soccer game from afar, Ken catches a flash of Ran's face  
in the corner of his eye, then sees Aya buying a bouquet of flowers  
from a street vendor  
  
[there is nothing in the world that can change my mind]  
  
~ Youji sees Ran through the window of a liquor shop, then blinks and  
shakes his head. When he opens his eyes again, Aya is departing from  
his view. Running out fo the shop, he loses sight of her in a crowd.  
  
[there is nothing else]  
  
~ Aya watches the rain from Ran's hospital room, as droplets begin to  
blanket the window. Squinting, she imagines that Birman and Manx  
are watching her through the window  
  
[there is nothing else..]  
  
~ Sakura comes to the flower shop, where Aya's been working, and tugs  
an apron on to help. She stares hopelessly at Ran's apron hook.  
Momoe says something to her, and she breaks free from her thoughts.  
  
[there is nothing else]  
  
~ Omi, Ken, and Youji all see each other in the lobby of the hospital.  
Ken is overcome with surprise, while Omi smiles knowingly. Youji  
lights a fresh cigarette, before being told to put it out.  
  
[Desperate for changing  
Starving for truth]  
  
~ Walking along a storefront, Aya watches her reflection alternate  
with Ran's reflection in each window pane. She stops when she sees  
both reflections, and turns around, to see no one behind her.  
  
[Closer where i Started  
Chasing after you]  
  
~ Ran takes Aya's place as she turns back to the window, and his hand  
unclenches, uneasy at the absence of his katana. Walking away, he  
misses Aya in the window, confusedly holding the katana.  
  
[i'm falling even more in love with you  
letting go of all i've held onto]  
  
~Aya falls ot her knees before her parents' graves. She places a hand  
upon the grass, unable to articulate her grief. Two ghosts stand  
behind her, hidden by a tree's shadows.  
  
[i'm standing here until you make me move]  
  
~Flashback to the moment Takatori hit Aya with his car. Ran's face  
contorts in horror as he watches the car slam into her body.  
  
[i'm hanging by a moment here with you]  
  
~Aya screams as her brother's body falls to the ground. Takatori's  
car skids away in the background.  
  
[i'm living for the only thing i know  
i'm running and not quite sure where to go]  
  
~Aya watches from outside as the Estet building begins to shudder.  
Suddenly, she's inside the collapsing building, dressed in Ran's  
trenchcoat and holding his katana. Around her, Weiss and Schwarz are  
fighting, with Crawford staring at her curiously.  
  
[i don't know what i'm diving into  
just hanging by a moment here with you]  
  
~The floor's shaking causes Aya to stumble, and she catches herself,  
shaking nervously. Then, seeing Crawford's gaze on her, Aya unsheaths  
the katana, now sure of herself, and runs into the fight. Ran's  
profile is visible in the katana as it catches the light.  
  
[just hanging by a moment  
hanging by a moment..]  
  
~Ran meets the blind little girl with the yellow ball, who he  
continually sent flowers to; the little girl perks her head up at the  
sound of footsteps, aware as someone passes by, holding a bouquet.  
  
[hanging by a moment... ]  
  
~Ran lays in his hospital bed, peacefully sleeping; the camera zooms  
in on his face  
  
[hanging by a moment here with you..]  
  
~Ran's lips quirk up slightly for a moment and he smiles, his eyes  
still closed, then the room is drenched in darkness save a growing   
crack from the doorway, the bed is then shown empty, with Ken,   
Omi, and Youji looking in from the doorway. They look at each   
other, nodding with satisfaction, and leave.  
  
[fade out]  
  
Two earrings on the pillow catch the hallway's light before  
Schuldich pushes the door completely shut.   
  
*owari* 


End file.
